Coachella is one of the music festivals that tends to draw a lot of young celebrity attendees, and with those celebrities come the paparazzi, making Coachella something of a photo op for the “cool” young celebs. Despite the veritable certainty of being photographed and the fact that many celebrities who employ stylists use their services to choose outfits for their everyday lives in addition to awards shows and the like, Kate Bosworth has been getting flak for pre-planning her Coachella outfits with her stylist, friend, and business partner, Cher Coulter.

“A stylist for Coachella?” asked babyjane. “Is she promoting something there? Unless you’re performing or hosting a party it's a leisure event. I wonder if Cher helps pick out all her outfits, making sure she's always paparazzi-ready like Rachel Zoe used to do for Nicole Richie.”

In PoppyAzura’s opinion, using a stylist for Coachella is going overboard. “As a ‘style icon’ [Kate] should be able to dress herself so she can sit around for a couple of concerts with a bunch of hipsters,” she wrote.

Belowen pointed out: “Cher also mentioned fitting three other actors for Coachella, so I'm guessing it's probably the done thing for some celebrities. Considering the fact that it's one big paparazzi fest, I'm not surprised.”

I think Kate Bosworth is probably getting picked on for something that many other celebrities are doing as well, especially now that the paparazzi and fans with camera phones document nearly every moment of their public lives. Maybe there’s more of an art to looking laid back and thrown together than most of us are willing to give credit for?

These Are What You Came Up With?

Collaboration mania continues as Givenchy pairs up with Converse to develop a new sneaker that draws on designer Riccardo Tisci’s signature influences such as crosses and leopard print, and classic Converse details borrowed from 60s-era Chuck Taylors. The sneakers will be available exclusively in Japan starting April 27, and after taking a look at them, as far as the Fashion Spot forum members are concerned, they can stay there.

Responses to the shoes were unanimously negative. “I was excited at first,” wrote Street_a_Licious, “but the leopard print and the color (BLACK) are simply not me.” Thejarc was also really excited when he read the thread title. “I thought of subtle navy/black/asymmetrical stuff. But this looks just tacky,” he wrote. But, looking on the bright side, “At least [they don’t] have dogs or panthers all over [them].”

Tangerine summed it up simply. “Really bad. So many details, yet it all adds up to nothing.”

If this pair of sneakers really is the “brand whore’s wet dream,” as rayoflight called them, then maybe the collaboration will add up to something.

Attack of the Clones

Is individuality in fashion a thing of the past? With the proliferation of fast fashion and high-speed technology that brings the runways to our computer screens instantaneously comes the throng of clones who adopt the style of the moment as their own. A few years back, vintagesociety started a thread to discuss the Kate Moss and Erin Wasson clones walking the streets in their uniforms of white t-shirts, black lacy bras, ripped denim shorts, biker boots, and vintage jewelry. The discussion was revived recently after a forum member spotted five Japanese girls shopping in New York City, all wearing variations of one or two outfits in the same style.

HeatherAnne observed, “This thread started as the Alexander Wang/Erin Wasson clone attack, and now a few years later I feel like we are seeing a shift to the French girl/Isabel Marant clone attack, at least in Hollywood, so it's only a matter of time before it trickles down and hits the masses. It's funny, I never thought I'd tire of seeing a closet staple like a striped Breton shirt, but I seriously can't stand them now.”

For ediewho, the monotony in her city has led her to abandon her hobby of street style photography. “I kinda stopped taking street style pictures [because of] painful boredom… it’s funny though [that] most of [the people] who were somewhat interesting [style-wise] were also too much influenced [by the] same old blog dementia striking the same crossing legs pose.”

Part of the clone issue also seems to boil down to the youth of most of these so-called clones and their lack of confidence in displaying or developing their own personal style. Menace wrote, “This is why I love girls/women [who] dare to be unique. Don't get me wrong, I do like my girls [who] can emulate stylish outfits, but they are nowhere in the league of women [who] can challenge the current trends. Interestingly, it is mostly women who are [approximately] 25 years and older who dare to be original,” he noted. “Maybe it's because they've broken out of that teenage ‘pack’ mentality and found their own individualism."

The discussion continues here, but what do you think of the clone phenomenon? It’s not that they necessarily look bad; it’s just that they all look the same. Are you looking in the mirror and thinking that you might be one of them? Maybe it’s time to break free of the pack if you haven’t already.

TheFashionSpot's Forum Buzz editor, Chrissy Makkas, has been a member and moderator of the tFS forums since early 2005. She regularly reports on hot topics and up-to-the-minute commentary from the forums, and highlights what trendsetting members are shopping for and wearing from week to week in her popular "What We Bought" and "Forum Street Style" features. You can find ChrissyM in the forums here.